Week of August 23 - 29, 2020

Highlights:

Spiritual

What an absolute joy is was to attend Sacrament Meeting with our small group of ward members (last names from R-Z on Sunday morning. As I walked in, I literally was brought to tears. I thought that would happen when I can finally return to do work for the dead in the temple, but I had not anticipated my spirit reacting in that way. I thought about the importance of remembering, and added this to one of my most spiritually defining memories. Dad enjoyed giving out a bit of candy. Otherwise, we did the typical Sunday reading, phone calls, Marco Polo, and studying. 

No temple again this week. 

I continue to listen to a General Conference talk, read the Book of Mormon, and study the Come Follow Me lessons each day.

I have indexed 13936 records and reviewed 70,939 records so far this year. 

Family

The Wilkins Family

The Wilkins family is doing well. As they spoke with me on Sunday, they were preparing their special back to school dinner, though this time it was fondue with homemade bread. She had the kitchen festively decorated with little apples. Their theme for this year is "The Reward is Worth the Effort". They always read "The Kissing Hand" and she makes handprint sugar cookies with Hershey kisses in them. Mike gave back to school priesthood blessings afterward. Mike is doing well at work, though it is a great struggle to apply for new positions. It must be done on his own time, but on an on-site computer with a manager having to sign him in. Otherwise, all is well and he is doing great. Allison is doing well and keeping up with work and home school. The Las Vegas temple will open for all living ordinances next week so that is good news for her work. The kids are doing well. Adam's last week of Summer vacation was pretty uneventful. He finds physical therapy boring. He did get to meet his tech teacher online and went with Mike to visit and help the family they minister to. Adam's contribution to the Sunday fondue was sauteed mushrooms he had found a recipe for. Grace is excited about school. She showed me her school Chromebook and how she signs on. She is taking Spanish, English, and Biology among her other classes. She also showed me her seminary teachers' pics. She is busy babysitting and saving her money. Josh had a thorough check-up with the neurologist and she is concerned that Josh's pain exists in both knees and feet, requiring heat and or icing. He does have Spinal Stenosis but that should only affect one side. She ordered another MRI and wants him to return to the Orthopedic doctor for additional testing and treatment. He likes school and is looking forward to soccer. Sam is doing well and likes his teacher. He has done a lot of reviewing so far, but is really enjoying his online learning and his teacher. 

The Ethan Rice Family

With Grandma Liza still visiting, we have tried not to interfere with their time with her. 

The Doran Rice Family

Doran and Amber are doing well at work and homeschooling continues for the kids. 

Kelsie found a way to miss Zoom meetings by adjusting the camera and having this set up. 

Morgan

Morgan and Cassie visited Monday as they returned the canoe from a fun camping trip. Thanks to Morgan for bringing over his well-organized toolbox and helping Dad with the water pump. He had the correct clamp that ended up helping tremendously!.

Kayty

Kayty had a good week at work. She continues to work on her new wall art. 

1 major and 1 minor low this week. 

The Nathan Rice Family

This week was a good one. They stopped by to visit on Sunday.

And they came by on Tuesday as Nathan came to help with Dad's starter installation. Happy 3rd birthday to Miss Ellie on Thursday. We went to deliver her gift on Thursday evening. 

Annie had to be seen at the Emergency Room for what turned out to be an infection rather than something more serious. The original plan was for Papa and I to care for Ellie and Emma, but, even though Nathan and Jessica had already had Covid, they would only let one parent in, so we got to visit with Nathan too. 

Dad's Garden

Dad is nearly ready to start planting seeds next week and he is looking forward to it. Basil is still providing for us and for friends. 

Other highlights

My car battery died on Sunday, so a new one was purchased on Monday. In addition, Dad's car overheated on the way home on Monday from a supplier. Turned out the water pump had gone out. Morgan, and later Nathan came over to help out install it and a new belt. 2020 has hit the jeep tremendously. We are starting to look for a vehicle to replace it. 

The weather was terribly hot this week as well. Every day was 113 Monday through Friday and the early mornings all started out for me in the low to mid 90s. And then, late Saturday morning...rain! 

Got a letter off to my inmate sister, Debbie. 

Me and the Target Dollar Spot had more than one meet up this week. I say the term "dollar spot" is misleading. 

I got to visit Nano for her birthday on Saturday. It was nice to see her and Elizabeth let me take my mask off. We had a good visit. 

Took what might be my last swim for 2020...unless a grandkid comes by. Even with molten 113 weather all week, it seemed rather chilly in the pool tonight. 

Week of August 16 - 22, 2020

Highlights:

Spiritual

Sunday was good. We enjoyed Music and the Spoken Word, and two BYU Devotional Talks by D. Todd Christofferson and Neil L. Anderson. We studied Come Follow Me overview for the week, read scriptures, partook of the Sacrament when Kayty woke up, and had a visit from President Baird, delivering our signed temple recommends. 

Temples in our area remain closed except for Phase 1 sealings. 

Daily study continues with General Conference talks, which I completed my fifth time through and began my sixth time and  in Come Follow Me in the Book of Mormon.

I have indexed 11857 records and reviewed 58709 records so far this year. 

Family

The Wilkins Family

The Wilkins family is busy preparing for school or attending school at home. Mike is working extra shifts when he can get them, taking classes, and can start applying for permanent positions next week. Allison keeps up with her work even with a concern that a co-worker has COVID in her home, and Allison doesn't want to miss work hours. Adam picked up his Chromebook from school on Friday. He has been reading a non-fiction book called Double Speak by William Lutz and is learning quite a bit about how words are used to lead and to mislead the audience. He is becoming quite a critical thinker. His knee still hurts if he overdoes on activities such as Nerf Wars. He finds physical therapy rather boring. Grace picked up her Chromebook from her high school a few days after Adam. She is excited for her last week of Summer break and hopes to do some shopping. She is also looking forward to her birthday coming in a few days and is planning her birthday meals. Joshua got a professional haircut before online classes began last week. He likes his teacher and enjoyed the Zoom get to know you games his class played. Sometimes, waiting for a class to begin gets tedious.

He went to a neurologist on Friday for an evaluation. He is registered for soccer already, since his last season was cancelled. His favorites are chicken ramen noodles, slim jims, pistachios, York peppermint patties and Olive garden salad dressing. Sam got a haircut also and looks so great. He had a rough week, getting a bite from possibly a Hornet. He likes his new teacher, Mrs. Loyd. He is also registered for soccer. 

The Ethan Rice Family

Grandma Liz arrived for a visit and is staying for couple of weeks, which is so nice for this family! Kaylee surprised me when I was out running on Monday morning. Apparently, she was so excited about her first day of school that she could not sleep, so she texted me. It was so much fun to be able to share in her excitement so far away.

 She was absolutely exhausted Monday night but seemed to have a good day. 

The Doran Rice Family

School began this week for Kelsie and Kooper.

 Since schools are all remote, the best one can get is to be in a group class setting at school with a few adults to help. That worked well for Kelsie but did not help Kooper at all with all the sign-ins and passwords. He now is at home, sitting right by Amber so she can help as needed while she works. 

I am not sure if Shelby helps with sign on, but she is there for lots of encouragement. The week was busy with work for Doran and Amber but went well and things are adjusting. Kelsie is loving her school set up right now. 

Morgan

Morgan and Cassie came by on Friday night to borrow the canoe. They headed to Blue Ridge Reservoir to celebrate Cassie's 30th Birthday. Morgan had an interview last week to work at Sportsman's Warehouse. 

Kayty

Kayty had a good week. Her boss is strongly encouraging them to use up their vacation days, so she took off Friday and Monday next week. She listened to her last hockey game for a couple of months as her Blackhawks lost their playoff series. 

Two minor saves this week. 

The Nathan Rice Family

Nathan and Jessica had a busy week. Tuesday, the planned to surprise the girls with new beds, so the girls came to play here while they set them up. They really loved their new room set up and the new beds when they returned home!

Dad's Garden

Dad waters the basil and the date palms while I try to keep the pine tree out front alive. 

Other highlights

I spent some time on Tuesday cleaning out the island cupboards and scrubbing the insides and doors. I got the drawers cleaned up a bit too. 

I took a trip to Target on Tuesday and Walmart and Dollar Tree on Thursday. Got some pumpkins, some birthday stuff for Ellie, and Christmas stocking stuff. 

On Thursday, I was a saint and made sausage, biscuits, and gravy on a 113-degree day.

Yes, the heat boils on. Nearly every single day this week was over 112...many were 115. It is crazy to be 100 by 9 am and 110 by noon. Record after record was set. We did have two dust storms this week which took the nighttime temperatures down to under 100 by 10 pm. I ran in 93 - 96-degree weather all week. I am so done with this heat!

Thursday night, it finally rained! It was glorious!!! This brought lower temperatures on Friday...our back porch hit 103. It was in the mid 80s when I jogged! So nice!

Saturday was clean up and grocery day. I spoke with Nano and plan to mask up and go visit her on her birthday next Saturday. 

Not so highlights

Week of August 9 - 15, 2020

Highlights:

Spiritual

Sunday was good, and very typical. Group Two of our ward members attended Sacrament Meeting at church. There were six families in attendance and they said it was wonderful to be back. I almost went and sat in the parking lot, just to see people I have not seen since March. We watched Music and the Spoken Word and a great BYU Education Week talk on responsibility. We partook of the Sacrament in the living room when Kayty woke up, as usual. We also participated in a Zoom online meeting with our ward for a Sunday School meeting on Come Follow Me and how families are doing. It was, again, just wonderful to see people I had not seen since March: Grant Call, the Baxleys, the Andersons. Not many participated but it was great. Nathan and Jessica came for a visit later in the afternoon.

No temple again this week due to it being closed. We did complete our temple recommend interviews online and they will be dropped off at our house next Sunday. 

I continue to listen to a General Conference talk each day, to read the Book of Mormon as I study the Come Follow Me lessons, and read the August Ensign Magazine. 

I have indexed 13,159 records and reviewed 67251 records so far this year. 

Family

The Wilkins Family

The Wilkins family is busy as ever. Final preparations were made for school with the kids selecting something to help out at home school. Adam selected some electronic notebook thing that sounded amazing. I will have to get a pic of it to get a better understanding. It certainly is not a spiral notebook by any means. Adam went to the outlet mall on Tuesday to get Vans shoes that were on sale there. He has some great classes selected for his senior year in high school. He continues physical therapy on Monday and Wednesday. Grace had a good week and attended a sleep over with some friends. They enjoyed shopping at Target and eating cake for lunch. She was also able to babysit (so Mom and Dad could enjoy a date night). Joshua is doing well and had some bloodwork done last week to determine the cause of his continuing pain. Allison's friend gave Josh a bike that her son had grown out of. It took a few repairs but now works great and Josh is thrilled. Sam made some neat masks with Adam and made a paper mache pinata. Here are some pics for Josh and Sam's first days of school.

And even on homeschool, the traditional first day of school cookies were a hit!

Work is good for both Mike and Allison as they continue to prepare to sell the house and look for another job. Lots of organizing and cleaning out this week. Mike continues his studies along with working. The family participated in serving a ward member that needed yard work done. They enjoyed Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday. 

The Ethan Rice Family

Ethan, Cameo, Kaylee and Wade are well. Ethan continues his college classes and hope to finish Managerial Accounting this week. Kaylee is readying for school at home to begin soon. 

The Doran Rice Family

Here are a few pics from the awesome campout last weekend. 

Lots of driving all over the state this week for Doran with work. Their weekend was spent cleaning the garage and getting ready for the week ahead. 

Morgan

No news from Morgan this week. 

Kayty

Kayty had a good work week. She did follow her favorite hockey team games but they didn't do so well. 

The Nathan Rice Family

Nathan returned to working on site this week. I played with the girls here Monday while Jessica got some grocery shopping done. We had fun playing house and with the toys. They had a good week as they adjust to Nathan working at his work site.  They visited on Saturday evening for a bit of play and even went outdoors to swing on the swings for a few moments. 

Dad's Garden

Basil is still plentiful and I spent hours picking basil and making pesto on Thursday.

We continue to try to keep plants alive in this extending heat. We also cleaned up a few more dead plants and the yard. 

Other highlights

I have not written much about this continuing pandemic situation. It just seems to bring me down and my faith and hope need to stay intact. Numbers of infection are falling. Everything is out of whack, though. Grocery stores have gone from shortages of toilet paper, paper towels and hand sanitizer to shelves packed with sanitizer and discounted prices now. School supplies pack shelves as kids are not returning to school and therefore do not need things. Shopping is not fun at all. You can barely breathe as you have to wear a face mask. There are directional stickers on the floor telling you which way to travel on each aisle. It is so tiring that I just hate to even go. The supply chain must be going crazy. 

Nativity Project completed on Wednesday. They are just finishing drying before I wrap them all up. 

Thursday marked Day 37 of days 110 degrees or above this year. Hottest summer ever and a record that will not hit a total for at least another week. Yes, 110+ for as far as next Thursday, then a couple days under 110 and then back up. We have had no rain at our house since March. 

I spoke with Nano a few times this week. She is healthy physically but her Alzheimer's Disease continues to take its toll. 

Week of August 2 - 8, 2020

Highlights:

Spiritual

We had a good Sunday. Music and The Spoken Word was excellent and we enjoyed two wonderful talks from BYU devotionals. Later, we were visited by Brother Allen from the bishopric for the first part of our temple recommend interviews. We shared the Sacrament with Kayty when she woke up. 

We had a quiet day and enjoyed visits with Wade and Ethan and Cameo, with Allison and family via Marco Polo, and with Nathan, Jessica, Anna, Ellie, and Emma. 

No temple continues.

I continue to read the Book of Mormon daily and study Come Follow Me Book of Mormon lessons, and I listen to General Conference talks daily...on my sixth time through. 

I have indexed 12745 records and reviewed 64917 records so far this year. 

Family

The Wilkins Family

The Wilkins Family continues to do well amid all the challenges that life seems to bring. They attended church on Sunday and worked on a Young Women Pass Around Basket. Mike continues to fix up the house, getting all the bifold doors installed and doing a wonderful job. They also cleaned out their storage shed, kept what they wanted, and donated the rest. They continue to pack the extras up and prepare for both a move and a new school year. Sam got some new shirts for when school is on-site and he has a new chair to enjoy while he is at home. He learned about scorpions this week. He had Mike help him plan his dinner for this week, and it included some yummy watermelon popsicles. Adam is continuing physical therapy and doing well. He has also continued to swim to help build his leg muscles again. Grace enjoyed shopping with her friends, which included a mani-pedi and eyebrow wax. She loved shopping at Claire's and Bath and Body Works. Josh had a doctor visit and he wanted some more blood work done and further visits to a neurologist and orthopedic doctor. The concerns the doctor has had since Josh's neuropathy incident last winter have caused him to want to find out more. 

And...for my moment of pure jealousy...this is Grace's hair

Froma Grammy who has thin fine and ever so straight hair, I am dying!

The Ethan Rice Family

Ethan, Cameo, Kaylee, and Wade are doing well. Ethan completed another final exam for his college class Sunday night and is now starting a Managerial Accounting class. On Friday, Kaylee spent the night with a friend, and Ethan, Cameo, and Wade took a trip to Macon to pick up a new toy box and enjoy a yummy dinner at Texas Roadhouse. 

The Doran Rice Family

Doran and Amber and the kids are doing well. They enjoyed a weekend trip with Nathan and family as well as some friends up on the Rim. 

Kelsie had a bit of a scare...couldn't find her way back to camp and no phone reception for anyone up there, so she called Aunt Tamara and us. A few 911 calls later help arrived from the other campers in their group. We are so thankful Kelsie thought to call and we are glad all worked out for the best. 

Morgan

Happy Birthday Morgan on Saturday. Hope you had a great day!!

Kayty

Kayty had a great week with her favorite hockey team playing again. Work was good.

1 save this week. 

The Nathan Rice Family

Nathan and Jessica had a great week. They are working hard increasing their preparedness supplies and made an attempt at meatless hamburgers. 

Emma was not a fan. 

They enjoyed their weekend trip, staying at her Mom's trailer in Young during the night and enjoying the wonderful weather during the day. 

Dad's Garden

Basil continues to grow well. Dad even got a couple more plants at the Dollar Tree this week. 

Other highlights

I continue to work on the Christmas Nativity project. I only have the camel left. 

I spoke with Nano this week. She doesn't seem to remember who I am most of the time but knows Scott. I speak with both Scott and Sharynn very regularly and they are great helps. 

Dad was back to work this week and very, very busy! 

Week of July 26 - August 1, 2020

Highlights:

Spiritual

Sunday was much better this week. I guess it was a blessing that we had no internet last week, because now, with still no church meetings, it was such a blessing to listen to "Music and The Spoken Word" and to learn from two talks, one a BYU devotional and one from General Conference in 2018, both by Elder Bednar. They were two very good talks and I was so thankful to be able to listen. We had our late morning/early afternoon Sacrament Meeting, once Kayty woke up. Dad and I both individually studied our Come Follow Me outline for the week and I watched some Book of Mormon videos. 

Family

The Wilkins Family

Wilkins Family is doing well and busy. The house is nearly all painted and new fan replace favorite light fixtures. Doors are being installed in a few places and the house is nearly ready to put on the market. Mike is in week 2 of Conversion. Allison still is working as long as she can at the temple. Looked forward to a busy week of Dermatologist appointments and physical therapy for his knee. Grace had a fun trip planned for mall shopping with some friends. Joshua is still quite bothered by the elimination from the menu of his Taco Bell Frito Burrito. Sam looked adorable in his red sweatshirt for school. He used Dad's phone and some new headphones to walk around and listen to music with that phone in the sweatshirt pocket. Allison has been preparing with school supplies for online school to begin in a few weeks. She is getting them into the swing of things by offering practical lessons such as "How to properly open a cereal box". They are all well and surviving a less than ideal summer. Thank goodness Lake Mead is nearby and they had a fun trip there this week as well. 

The Ethan Rice Family

Last weekend, Ethan and family had a glorious trip to Savannah, Georgia area and had a fun time on the beach. 

They had such a wonderful time!!!

The Doran Rice Family

Doran, Amber, Kelsie and Kooper enjoyed a lovely Cafe Rio dinner made totally by Nathan and Jessica on Saturday night. Amber is DYING for an Instapot now. They had a good week. Doran survived the hottest week yet here and still got work done both at home and at his job. Saturday, they came to visit and ended up enjoying swimming with Nathan's family. 

Morgan

Morgan stopped by for a visit this week. He was ready to start back to work after a few days off with a stomach bug. 

Kayty

Kayty had a good work week. She even had a couple of days with on two hours off two hours. It's not as much fun when you are stuck in your bedroom though. It seems to last forever. She enjoyed a hockey game on Saturday on television...a rare occasion since all sports have been cancelled. There was no one in the audience and all but players were masked but she had lots of good yelling time. 

Two saves this week. 

The Nathan Rice Family

We had a fun visit from Nathan, Jessica, Anna, Ellie, and Emma on Sunday. They were just going to put their feet in the pool, but that ended up being an epic fail. 

Nathan continues to work from home. It is working out and the girls are not part of too many meetings. They have been working on increasing their preparedness and have gotten good deals on black beans and storage barrels. They still enjoy their new kittens. 

Dad's Garden

Basil is still doing well. We lost our wonderful tangerine tree after many years of service and good fruit. Not sure what caused it's death though. Dad went early to a friend's house and got filled bags of compost from her horses and goats and put them in the garden to prepare for later. He also got seeds to plant in the Fall. Our seasons are so different here, and by the time you need seeds, others have gotten rid of them. When they are planting, our gardens are done. 

Other highlights

Another furlough week and very hot weather with days all above 110 degrees and a couple 119's and 118's made for a rough and very boring week. 

Two days of work and getting lots of phone help from those who know, but we did finally get a new radiator installed in the jeep, new spark plugs, and a few new fuses. It works well.

Christmas in July included watching Elf and cutting out, sanding and beginning work on the final pieces of the three-year nativity scene project for the kids. After all the cutting and sanding were completed, I vacuumed and cleaned up all the benches outside. Done!

Dad got a lot cleaned out in the woodworking area on the back porch. He cleaned out wood and has it ready for Doran and Nathan to take on a camping trip next weekend if they need firewood. 

Dad's records are finally all sold and gone. We were blessed to sell them and they are now in the hands of others who own shops and sell them. 

I did speak with Nano on the phone this week but she was mostly concerned with her money and I assured her all is safe. I continue to pay bills and make sure prescriptions get ordered and delivered. 

We enjoyed visits from Julie and Mike B, Angie Day, Karleah Lee (all from the ward), and Jeanette Perkins.